What You See First In This Image Reveals Your Secret Fear

Whether we like to admit it or not, the things that scare us play a big part in our daily lives. We don't like to think of ourselves as being creatures driven by fear, but in many respects, we truly are, and sometimes the only way we are able to become conscious of our own most frightening hidden thoughts is by exploring them further via a personality test.

Fear of dangers like fire, predatory animals and/or the dark don't arise from weaknesses or flawed character traits. They are logical responses designed to help us out of situations that can, if we don't listen to them, cost us our lives.

Nowadays we don't have to worry so much about giant animals breaking into our homes or that something equally (or even more) dangerous is hanging out in the dark waiting to pounce upon us, but that doesn't mean that the things we are afraid of are any less important.

To get a handle on what YOU are most afraid of and what that means about you, your personality traits and your life, all you need to do is start by looking at the image below.

Take a good look and make a note of the first thing you see in the picture.

Now, scroll down to see what what this personality test reveals your most secret fears.

If you saw...

1. The Knife

You might think that, if you saw the knife first, your greatest fear is related to violence — but you would be wrong. If you saw the knife first it means that your greatest fear involves terminal illness.

It could be that you fear getting a deadly illness yourself, it could be a fear that someone you love with contract such an illness, or it could even be a fear that some illness might cause a pandemic which would end or change the world as we know it forever.

While there's nothing wrong with taking care of your health, the danger comes in letting concerns over illness control and consume you. Sadly, we don't have control over everything that happens to us. This is what makes life interesting, but yes, it's also what makes it's scary.

2. The Caterpillar

Chances are if you saw the caterpillar first, you believe your greatest fear is something to do with bugs, but you couldn't be more wrong. If you saw the caterpillar first when you looked at this painting it means that you have a deep and serious fear of ghosts and the supernatural.

This might not be a fear that you publicly advertise, but it's a huge part of who you are. You may have always had this fear, or you may have developed it later in life, but it is powerful, even though you might not have a logical reason for feeling this way.

3. The Butterfly

If you saw the butterfly first it doesn't mean you have a fear of insects nor that you have a fear of change, which could be another easy misconception. If you saw the butterfly first when you looked at the painting, your greatest secret fear is rejection or betrayal.

You're probably excellent at hiding this fear, but it informs a large part of who you are. You love your friends and romantic partners and even your family members deeply, but you're always keeping a watchful eye, wary that they might to do the worst thing imaginable and violate your trust.

Trusting other people is never easy, but it's necessary for creating intimacy. If you want to have truly meaningful relationships that stand the test of time, you'll have to take the leap and start having faith in the people who matter to you most.

4. The Apple

If you saw the apple first it's tempting to assume that this must mean your subconscious fear has something to do with eating, food, or being poisoned. That's not the case. If you saw the apple when you first looked at the painting then chances are your biggest subconscious fear is death.

A fear of death is difficult to rationalize away because death is scary. It's the ultimate unknown, yet it's as certain as taxes, as the saying goes.

However, if you fixate on a fear of death, chances are you'll start missing out on all of the joys that do exist when you're alive.

The best way to conquer a fear of death is to remember that death is a natural part of life. Sure, the idea of not knowing what comes next is scary, but since matter can neither be created nor destroyed, it should hopefully be comforting to know that in some way, however small, there is a part of us all that is guaranteed to live on.